ATLAS TRANSLATES

As evening approached, the setting sun bathed the pavilions and towers in a warm glow.

In the courtyard of the Lu family’s second branch, maids and servants lounged about, sitting or standing lazily under the corridors, chatting idly.

Suddenly, they noticed the young master entering through the moon gate, drenched from head to toe. The surface of the pond in the courtyard was littered with dried lotus leaves, their yellow-green hues reflecting like jade—everyone exclaimed in surprise, “Third Young Master!”

“Third Young Master is back!”

Lu Yun, dressed in coarse clothing and looking disheveled, still appeared to everyone as a pristine and elegant figure, like snow-capped jade from the mountains.

He leaned against the wall covered with vines, the colorful patterns of the brocade casting dappled light on his face, shifting between brightness and shadow.

The faces of the maids in the courtyard flushed red almost simultaneously.

The maids hurried over to attend to him, bringing tea and water.

They bustled about, sprinkling fragrant powders and fetching fresh clothes and medicinal ointments, preparing a bath for the young master.

The previously idle courtyard of the second branch sprang back to life, with the sounds of boiling water and cooking spreading throughout the Lu household. Slowly, everyone in the Lu family learned that Third Young Master had returned.

In no time, the entire Lu residence seemed to buzz with activity, as people came to visit.

Half an hour later, wearing a jade crown, long sleeves, and gray trousers, Lu Yun finally regained his composure.

Returning to his bedroom, he passed through the large screen separating the inner and outer rooms and sat on the couch covered with autumn-colored wool.

Lu Yun took a sip of the hot tea brought by his maid, Jin Yue, and let out a long sigh. Rubbing his temples, he asked, “Has anything significant happened in Jianye while I was away?”

Lu Yun had been gone for two or three months.

During that time, there had been plenty of gossip—wives and concubines feuding, daughters spending fortunes to find lovers, families competing in wealth to the point of brawls… Jin Yue thought for a moment and replied, “Nothing major, really, and none of it concerns our family… Oh, but there is one thing—today, a cousin is coming to visit. Would that count?”

Lu Yun closed his eyes. “The day when no cousins come to the Lu family is the day something major happens.”

Cousins…

The Lu family had no shortage of cousins.

They visited daily, playing music and singing to entertain the women of the household.

Third Young Master was probably tired of hearing about them.

Jin Yue suddenly chuckled, studying Lu Yun’s handsome yet cold face for a moment before covering her lips with her hand. “This cousin is different. She’s a relative from your uncle’s side. She’s coming from Nanyang, having lost her parents, and plans to stay with us for a long time. And, I’ve heard she’s a stunning beauty!”

Beauty didn’t faze him.

Lu Yun, resting with his eyes closed, his brow slightly twitching under the flickering candlelight, caught the key point and replied lazily, “Now even distant, impoverished relatives are coming to live with the Lu family? These women are becoming more and more unreasonable.”

Though Jin Yue privately agreed with her master’s assessment of the Lu family’s women, she kept her expression neutral, smiling without comment.

The master and servant moved on from the topic of the so-called impoverished cousin, and Jin Yue began to recount some interesting events that had occurred in Jianye.

As she spoke softly, a figure flashed past the window.

Zhi Yue, another maid, bowed gracefully outside the screen and said in a sweet voice, “Third Young Master, I heard you’ve returned and were injured. The old madam has sent some ginseng soup. She wants to know how serious your injuries are and would like to see you.”

Jin Yue covered her mouth and laughed again, glancing at her master—the old madam clearly wanted Third Young Master to come over and meet the new cousin.

—

Actually, Jin Yue’s information wasn’t entirely accurate.

The Lu family hadn’t welcomed just one cousin—they had welcomed a pair of sisters.

However, the younger sister was only eight or nine years old and, perhaps feeling unwell from the boat ride, had been clinging to her older sister since they arrived on land.

After entering the Lu residence, Luo Yunhuan, the younger sister, had been led by her older sister to kowtow to the old madam in the afternoon. The maid, Lingxi, had then taken the little girl to rest. Only Luo Lingyu, the older sister, remained by the old madam’s side.

Luo Lingyu’s breathtaking beauty made people overlook the younger sister, leading them to believe that only one cousin had arrived. After all, this one cousin alone outshone all the other young ladies in the household—

From the afternoon, Luo Lingyu had been sitting with the old madam and other elders, like a beautiful vase on display, carefully answering their questions.

The room was cold and awkward, with everyone struggling to make conversation, and the elders’ smiles were stiff.

Yet, Luo Lingyu maintained an elegant smile, her delicate fingers resting on her knees.

For two hours, she sat upright, her posture perfect, without a single wrinkle in her skirt or a sway in the hairpin on her temple. The women of the Lu family exchanged glances, silently agreeing: though the Luo family had fallen from grace and Luo Lingyu’s beauty was almost too striking for a proper lady, her manners were impeccable.

When the other women returned in the evening, Luo Lingyu quickly stood up and was greeted by a woman in flowing sleeves.

This woman, with a lively and dignified demeanor, had a face that was above average, but her makeup was exquisite.

She wore the latest Jianye fashion in floral hairpins and, upon entering, took Luo Lingyu’s hands in hers. As she looked Luo Lingyu up and down, tears welled up in her eyes. “Yu’er, my poor Yu’er, how have you been in Nanyang? Did the Luo family treat you well?”

Her niece had only just arrived, and it was already evening—what was there to cry about?

Zhang Minglan, the wife of the Lu family’s eldest branch, sitting beside the old madam, pursed her lips and stood up.

Before she could even offer a greeting, she saw how well Luo Lingyu played her part. As Lu Ying began to cry, Luo Lingyu’s eyes reddened, and tears welled up as she threw herself into Lu Ying’s arms. “Aunt, I’ve missed you so much. I dream of you and Uncle every night…”

The woman Lu Yun called his aunt was, in fact, Luo Lingyu’s only true relative in the Lu family—her aunt, Lu Ying. After the Luo family’s downfall, Lu Ying had returned to her maiden home with her son. It had been four years since Luo Lingyu had last seen her aunt.

Lu Ying’s initial warmth toward Luo Lingyu had been partly genuine, partly performative.

But when Luo Lingyu choked out the word “Uncle,” Lu Ying’s expression faltered, her eyes narrowing as memories of their time in Ruyang flooded back. Though there had been arguments and disagreements, at least they had been alive… Time had flown by, and Lu Ying was momentarily lost in thought.

This time, she held her niece’s hand a little tighter, and the tears in her eyes shifted from three parts genuine to five.

The other women of the Lu family exchanged another glance: this Luo girl was quite cunning.

After the aunt and niece had cried for a while, Zhang Minglan, the wife of the Lu family’s eldest branch, stepped forward to console them.

The old madam also spoke up, and only then did Lu Ying, with her slightly reddened eyes, stop crying. At this point, Lu Ying turned and introduced the group of young women who had been curiously watching them. “Yu’er, these are your cousins.”

Luo Lingyu, who had just sat down, quickly stood up again, addressing each of them as “sister” or “cousin,” and warmly took their hands. “Aunt has told me about all of you. I’ve prepared some sachets and pouches—they’re not worth much, but I hope you’ll accept them as a token of my affection.”

Lu Ying turned to her mother, the old madam, and proudly said, “My niece Yu’er is the most virtuous and well-mannered. She didn’t even know how many sisters and cousins we have, yet she prepared so many gifts.”

The women of the Lu family nodded and smiled. “How thoughtful, how thoughtful.”

Luo Lingyu then called for a small square box to be brought in and began distributing the gifts. Though she smiled on the outside, she felt a pang of bitterness inside.

Her unreliable aunt had really put her in a tough spot: Lu Ying hadn’t written to her about anything, and she had heard that the Lu family was full of sons. But now, looking around, there were so many cousins! Who were all these people?

She didn’t recognize a single one.

The women began introducing themselves one by one:

“These two are your eldest aunt’s nieces from her mother’s side, surnamed Wang…”

“This is the old madam’s niece from her mother’s side…”

“This is the daughter of my sworn sister’s brother…”

Luo Lingyu was overwhelmed, twisting her handkerchief in her hands.

She suddenly realized that among all these cousins, her and her sister’s arrival wasn’t so out of place after all.

In fact, her connection to the Lu family seemed closer than some of these distant relatives—at least she could directly call the Lu family’s second-generation matriarch “Aunt.”

When she had written to her aunt for help, unsure if she could continue living in Nanyang, she had been nervous.

But now, seeing how the Lu family loved to take in beautiful cousins, she realized they weren’t showing her any special favor.

Luo Lingyu felt relieved. A short while later, the young masters of the Lu family arrived, and Luo Lingyu stood up once again—

“This is your second cousin, Lu Xian.”

“This is your fourth cousin, Lu Chang.”

“This is your eldest cousin from your second uncle’s side, third cousin…”

The Lu family’s current generation was entirely male, with not a single daughter in sight.

Among them, Lu Xian, the second son, was the most dignified and composed, leading his younger brothers in greeting the new cousin. After exchanging greetings of “brother” and “sister,” Luo Lingyu found herself surrounded, with everyone’s eyes on her.

The young masters of the Lu family whispered among themselves, their gazes fixed on the stunningly beautiful cousin. The other cousins, seeing Luo Lingyu’s beauty and figure, had mixed expressions.

Luo Lingyu distributed her gifts, speaking softly and gently.

With each person she met, she looked them directly in the eye.

When facing the women, she straightened her posture even more.

Surrounded by a flock of beauties, Luo Lingyu stood out as the most radiant. The ordinary looks of the other cousins only highlighted her exceptional beauty.

Luo Lingyu’s smile grew warmer and more sincere as she thought to herself: Thank you for being my foil… I am the most striking one here.

The cousins whispered among themselves: This new sister (or cousin) is too beautiful, too fake—we don’t like her.

As Luo Lingyu was handing out gifts, a maid announced from outside, and another person entered. The young master, dressed in silver-gray casual trousers, walked slowly into the room. The moment he crossed the threshold, everyone’s attention shifted from Luo Lingyu to him.

He was like the pure snow on a mountain peak, the bright moon among the clouds.

Surrounded by a soft glow, he seemed like a natural jade figure, embodying all the grace and spirit of the Lu family. Even the previously impressive Lu Xian paled in comparison. The young master walked into the room, his gaze sweeping over the lively crowd.

His long eyebrows and delicate features gave him an ethereal, almost otherworldly aura. Yet, when his peach-blossom eyes looked down, there was an indescribable coldness, a sense of detachment and recklessness—

When their eyes met, time seemed to stand still. Luo Lingyu was momentarily stunned, her mind blank as she stared at him. After what felt like an eternity, she suddenly blushed and stepped forward, curtsying. “May I ask… which cousin are you?”

Lu Yun strode in, his robe fluttering. He stared at the top of his cousin’s head for a long moment, his gaze deep and inscrutable. Finally, his icy lips parted, and he uttered two words: “Guess.”

Luo Lingyu was momentarily speechless. “…”